The FPSR is actively engaged in promoting the goals of international elasmobranch conservation, working closely with the World Conservation Union (IUCN) and the American Elasmobranch Society (AES). The IUCN Shark Specialist Group is an international team of biologists and conservation experts who assess the status of elasmobranchs and initiate actions to restore threatened species to safe and productive population levels. The AES, an international scientific society of professional researchers studying elasmobranchs, actively promotes rational utilization and conservation of sharks, skates and rays.